Gov. Rick Scott signed into law this month legislation that gives manufacturers a tax break on equipment purchases. The law eliminates for three years Florida’s 6% sales tax on new manufacturing equipment bought in the state.

For South Florida companies looking to expand their location operations, or out-of-state manufacturers looking to expand or relocate in South Florida, that news alone was good for area business interests. What had been a disadvantage for the state will – as they say – enjoy a level playing field.

“Florida has been at a competitive disadvantage by being the only state on the Atlantic seaboard and on the Gulf Coast to charge sales taxes on manufacturing equipment,” Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, told the Jacksonville Business Journal. “As Florida’s trade and logistics industry grows, and prepares to take advantage of the expansion of the Panama Canal, removing the manufacturing and equipment sales tax will help ensure Florida can take advantage of these new opportunities.”

Couple news of the tax elimination with news of growing logistics infrastructure in development or being considered in the region – from tri-county intermodal centers being built to major rail lines being laid or considered – and South Florida is in the midst of a current and future construction, trade and logistics trend.

South Florida regional transit planners are rolling out the idea for a regional rail program that will improve upon Tri-Rail and deliver a transit solution that unites the tri-county region. Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Transportation reportedly is looking into transforming U.S. 27 – the highway on the far western reaches of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties’ developed areas – into a rail corridor to handle freight and cargo trains.

Transformation indeed. South Florida developers, property owners, commercial and warehouse landlords and business owners are witnessing the transformation from what had been a stagnant economy into a robust marketplace. If these improvements occur as planned, South Florida will become an essential destination in a regional hub of trade and logistics – with Boca Raton and Palm Beach County central to this burgeoning workplace.

That vision is coming even more clear as South Florida regional transit planners roll out the idea for a regional rail program that will improve upon Tri-Rail and deliver a transit solution that unites the tri-county region.

A headline in the South Florida Business Journal proclaimed what developers and business leaders all hope: “Long-awaited commuter rail service could spur regional development.”

“Previously stalled plans to add commuter rail service on the Florida East Coast Railway are beginning to gain momentum, a potential game-changer for development in South Florida,” the article stated.

The rail line, slated mostly for counties’ eastern railway would open development and redevelopment on the eastern reaches of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, luring businesses and igniting possible investment.

We’ve already seen this to the west. Tri-Rail is used by thousands of commuters and travelers daily, removing cars from the roads, reducing congestion and improving mobility region-wide. In fact, Tri-Rail and other commuter- and ec0-friendly solutions are central to new development envisioned for Northwest Boca Raton. Planned mobility is central to the move to improve the area’s living and workplace offerings and rekindle development in the area.

Tie the east to the west – from Jupiter to Miami – and South Florida could become the regional player so many business development leaders and economic advocates have long hoped it could be.

Such promise also is envisioned for All Aboard Florida, the privately owned, operated and maintained passenger rail line being developed by Florida East Coast Industries (FECI). The intercity rail service serve some of the 50 million Floridians and tourists who travel each year between South Florida and Orlando. Opening such corridors to rail and people will encourage opening of trade and commerce as well.

Much work remains to be done. The infrastructure for a new South Florida regional rail line, from 28 stations to trains and passenger cars, to improved park-and-ride lots, could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Just as important as the finances behind it will be the political will and civic support to see this through.

In recent years, we’ve seen a move away from “territorial” perspectives and municipal leaders embracing a regional approach. If, as it’s been said, a rising tide raises all ships, any development that spurs interactivity and business development across the region will only serve to improve tidings in the cities within. Here’s hoping leaders throughout the region can proclaim, “All Aboard” and Floridians see development grow.

Here in Boca Raton and throughout South Florida, we have beef patties worth celebrating. South Florida Burger Overload recently had a review of several burger stands.

Just this month, Shake Shack opened in Boca. The venerable burger and shake joint joins a host of other eateries known for burgers large and small. Among those fine (and questionable) establishments our short list are:

The Office on Atlantic Ave. With prime burgers and craft beer, beach combers and suited execs alike will enjoy the selection and location.

Le Tub Saloon on Hollywood Beach. Prepare to wait a while. But a burger on the Intracoastal – in an establishment dating back to 1959 – is a great pairing.

Charm City Burgers on Hillsboro in Deerfield Beach have burgers (like the one pictured here) that are darn sloppy good. As their site says, “Choose wisely.” Then again, if you don’t, you can always choose differently your next time.

Burger & Beer Joint. Sure, it’s a haul to South Beach or Mary Brickell Village. But these are great burgers – you can “pimp” yourself. Named after hit songs – Hotel California, Freebird, Mustang Sally – they’re memorable even before your first bite. And if you’re up to the task, the 10-pound MotherBurger presents a challenge: Down it in less than two hours, and it’s free.

Steak n Shake, Five Guys, Elevation Burgers, CG Burgers and BurgerFi. Sure, they’re chains. But each brings a unique taste and flair to the equation – from Elevation’s sustainable, organic beef, to Steak n Shake timeless burger place appeal.

Have your favorite burger joint – or restaurants that serve great burgers, along with other fare? Let us know.

The graduation luncheon was held at Miami’s Jungle Island with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz as the featured guest speaker, in addition to Robert Runcie, Superintendent of Broward Public Schools and Alberto M. Carvalho, Superintendent of Miami-Dade Public Schools.

The event celebrated the graduation of over 400 students from 109 public high schools throughout South Florida. Many of these students the first in their families to be going to college. Students were congratulated for successful completion of the WOT program, as well as their scholastic accomplishments.

Those who received special honors were students graduating in the top 5% to 1% of their classes, as well as those who received college scholarships. This year, WOT awarded $211,000 in college scholarships to more than 100 mentees.

“Mentoring and supporting these young ladies has been such a rewarding experience in my life. I receive even more than I give in the process,” said Robbin Newman, General Counsel with area commercial property developer and landlord, Danburg Properties of Boca Raton, and a long-time mentor at Broward County’s Western High School. “They’re an inspiration to all those who know them.”

Newman also served on the WOT scholarship committee; so in addition to her mentoring and daily job responsibilities at Danburg Properties, she spent at least 30 hours in April working with other members of the scholarship committee to review scholarship applications and interview many of the young women eligible scholarship funds.

“Although it was a significant time commitment in addition to my other responsibilities, words cannot explain how I felt standing on the podium at the luncheon and congratulating the scholarship recipients,” Newman said. “Many of these young women had overcome so many personal obstacles and yet were able to make such significant achievements both inside and outside of school in their efforts to graduate and continue on to college.”

Danburg Properties sponsored a table at the event, and invited Newman’s three graduating mentees, Western’s program coordinator, Newman’s co-mentor Maxine Becker of Alene Boutique in Plantation, and Barbara Cambia, Director of Corporate Relationships with Lynn University.

“We’re proud to support Robbin, her dedication and her effort in mentoring these young ladies,” said Jamie Danburg, president of Danburg Properties of Boca Raton. “Through Robbin, we’ve witnessed first-hand Women of Tomorrow’s belief that by educating women, mentors can help them go on to college and become self-sustaining.”

Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program provides preventative programming for at-risk girls. It promotes drop-out prevention, increases access to higher education, creates pathways out of poverty and fosters workforce development. As founder and president Jennifer Valoppi says, “Changing the world one young woman at a time.”

The bubble that burst beginning in 2007 and dragged the entire residential housing market into a tailspin is a fading memory in most areas. Gone are the phantom-approval, low-money-down and interest-only mortgages that landed un- or under-qualified homebuyers in overpriced homes and mortgage foreclosures – and landed the market in the deepest recession in generations.

Now, prices are rising for existing and new homes, as demand grows from well-qualified buyers. Most banks are diligent – even excessively so – in their qualification standards. This should protect the market from a follow-up bubble, remarked Brad Hunter, chief economist with surveyor Metrostudy in a recent Sun-Sentinel interview.

“It is going to be a strong year for South Florida’s housing market, with more demand for homes, more population growth, more household formation, and a lot more construction,” Hunter told Danburg Properties of Boca Raton. “Home prices will be up at double-digit rates – 10% or more – in the most popular neighborhoods.”

The trend is opening new markets. Some people who took on roommates or returned home to live with their parents or relatives are ready to buy. Those who hung tight in smaller homes before or during the recession are ready to move up to larger homes.

Rising, too, are prices for vacant land that developers of both residential and commercial, office and warehouse space will need to continue the recovery and market expansion. The recent Case-Shiller index seemed to confirm that home prices are continuing to strengthen.

People have felt the recovery – and the desire to buy or invest now.

“A complete transformation has occurred,” Hunter told the Sun-Sentinel. “Two years ago, buyers were holding back because prices were still falling, and now there is urgency to buy.”

We’ve seen that in Boca Raton’s commercial, office and warehouse markets, too. Companies are growing, and out-of-town companies and their brokers are scouting for suitable expansion or relocation properties.

In fact, growth in these markets highlights the need for local and suitable housing options. Some markets – like Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties – will lose out on some of the growth opportunities and robust metro recovery because their housing base is removed from South Florida’s bustling business sectors.

One such option is the residential development planned for Boca Raton’s Northwest Sector. The luxury garden apartments promise affordable rental housing for high-paid corporate employees who work at area companies.
Between rentals that require credit validation but no mortgage applications, more stringent mortgage lending requirements, and less speculative buying, South Florida should enjoy a more stable market.

If you have an iPhone or Android smartphone, you know what “apps” are. They’re software applications for any number of services or functions designed to be used on a mobile device or smartphone. Some are business apps. Some focus on “the business of life,” like banking and finance, daily planning and other functions of running your life or household. And some target personal or lifestyle pursuits.

We’ll leave the business and “business of life” apps for another discussion. Today, we launch a feature that explores some popular and cool apps that we use regularly to add value to our daily lives (have some to add to the list? Let us know). Our list of some free apps includes…

Map My Ride and Runtastic. These two apps are designed for runners and cyclists. These apps use the phone’s mapping capabilities, GPS and the clock to track an outing’s duration, miles per hour, distance and path on a map. They also estimate calories burned. If you have the right sensors, they’ll track your heart rate and blood pressure, too. Save each session and compare with past outings or share with friends via email or social media.

Google Maps. Once upon a time, planning a road trip or business meeting meant loading the addresses into your Garmin or TomTom, or logging into MapQuest and printing out or emailing the directions. Now, Google Maps makes mapping simple. The folks at Apple went off course when they released Apple Maps before all the roadblocks and potholes were worked out. Meanwhile, Google Maps remains simple and functional. And the newest version gives turn-by-turn spoken directions.

Siri. Speaking of speaking, sometimes those little keys on the iPhone’s or Android phone’s face are just too small (or the user’s fingers are too large) to navigate. Or sometimes, you’ve just grown tired of trying to type. Siri (or Android’s Iris [‘Siri’ spelled backwards, get it?]) is the voice-to-text function found on iPhone 4S and 5 iphones. She’s pretty good at interpreting the user’s speech patterns. Use her for email, texts, Maps, Internet searches, or just to have a little fun, tell her you love her, or ask – as we did recently – “What is pi?” She seemed to answer in Greek.

Pandora. True audiophiles know about “the music genome project.” Type in (or dictate via Siri) the name of a band. Pandora will queue up a selection of bands that fit the original act’s style or genre. It’s a great way to get introduced to similar music. Along those lines…

Shazam. Hear a song you don’t know or whose name you can’t recall? Launch the app, touch the black button, and within seconds – if the sound is loud and clear enough – Shazam will display the song, artist and album – with art. Another touch and you can instantly buy it from iTunes.

Stargazer or SkyView. Wonder what’s aloft in the heavens tonight? Launch the app and point your smartphone toward the night (or day) sky. The screen will reveal the planets, stars and constellations in that direction – regardless of whether you can see them at the moment. It even works indoors – and below the horizon.

Check back in the coming weeks. We’ll post more apps – including those you tell us about. We’re always game to discover a few good apps, so send us your favorite apps.

Pitching in golf is one of the hardest things to master, especially in Florida where the grass is Bermuda and will leave no mercy for your golf club as you try to hit a good shot. In this post we will cover the basics of the technique, but in the short game it is more important really to practice effectively. Thus I will give the basics of the technique, some drills to ingrain these techniques and then some fun games for you to play with your friends that are a lot of fun.

The Basics: Within chipping / pitching the basics are extremely simple, all you have to think about is your chest, club, head and hands. This is to say that you will be able to keep the club head in front of you which will allow you to make solid contact with ball. As you can see in Image 1 Steve Stricker his club head, hands, and chest all in one piece which allows him to nip the ball first and create solid contact.

The How: While all that seems well and good you are probably wondering how am I suppose to do that. Well, I used to feel the same but then I was taught several drills that I could do In order to ingrain these proper techniques so that I would never have to think about them again. There are three main drills that will help you to master this simple technique.

Pitching on your left foot will allow you to get your weight on your left side. This makes it almost impossible for you hands, chest, club head to get out of sequence causing you to chunk it, thin it, or duff it.  The drill is shown really well in Image 2 to the right.

The second drill that is going to help you hit more pure chips and pitches is really a lot of fun in of in itself as you can forget about results. Why? Because there is no expectation to hit a good shot when you only have one hand. Yes, only one hand – once you have mastered hitting the ball off just your left leg you will find that you are hitting shots very solid but you will not have them stopping where you want . You need to learn control at this point which is very important within the short game. My favorite drill for short game control is of course the one handed drill. All you have to do is grab your wedge and go to the short game area. Once you do that you’ll realize that the left hand in golf is the control hand. Though don’t let using one hand take away from the precious basics that you’ve learned. Look at image 3 and to get a visual understanding of how to hit short game shots with one hand.

Now that you’ve hit some shots and mastered hitting chip shots off your left leg only, and with your left hand only you are ready to bring it all together. This next drill is done by the worlds best players to fine tune their chipping / pitching techniques. The drill allows you to have immediate feedback if you are not doing the proper technique. All other drill that I have mentioned have not required that you use anything other than yourself and your golf club. This drill is the exception and it is called the ‘Towel Drill’, the towel drill will change your short game life. All you have to do it put a towel and your arms and make it stay there!

So now you’re hitting chip and pitch shots close and there really pure and crisp when you hit them. All of your friends are amazed, but then the inevitable feeling of the insatiable desire to improve at golf kicks in. So how do you improve? Because there is no point in you repeating thee drill after you’ve mastered them. You play games! Today I will tell you three games that you can play in practice that will help your short game. I can tell you from experience that these games helped me more than anything.

The first drill I will tell you is a distance control drill; once you mastered this drill getting up and down from beside the green will literally be a joke. All you have to do is set up about 10 clubs about 4 feet apart from each other. Then try and fly the ball in between each of two clubs. Set a goal to see how many you can get in a row going up and down the “ladder”.

So you can hit the ball crisply whenever you want and you can control how far it goes; now I think you want to show off. So call a friend and play game number two, game number two is a golf version of the basketball game 21. All you need in this game Is 2 golf balls for each person. The person who hit the best shot of the four shots hit gets 3 points; the farthest away from the hole gets -2 points. The first person to 21 points is the champion!

The last game that I will share with you is a game that I played the first time I ever played golf. Its simplicity should not be over looked and it does more for you than just your short game skills, it also makes your focus razor sharp. All you need is your wedge, lots of golf balls and a bucket. Ladies and Gentleman … “The Bucket Drill”

We at Danburg have known Jeff – both personally and professionally – for 20 years. We have watched as he and business partner Michael Daszkal grew their accounting firm, Daszkal Bolton, into one of South Florida’s largest and most respected CPA and business consulting firms. That accomplishment will remain one of Jeff’s lasting legacies.

We watched as Jeff met, courted and then married his love, Mirka. We were there as Jeff and his son, Jason, together faced life-threatening illness, and together fought the disease. In the process, they both taught us all a few lessons about perseverance and never giving up.

In fact, Jeff and his family emerged from that episode more committed to their community than ever. The Boltons supported the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, among other charitable and community organizations.

Most importantly, as a life lesson to us all, we watched a man so full of life and vigor live large and celebrate each day as if it were a gift.

In the end, the gift was ours. His passing comes all too soon, and leaves us all with wishing it wasn’t so, but knowing what Jeff would want. Mourn if we must, but he would prefer a celebration of his – and our – lives.

So we toast our dear friend, Jeff Bolton, a man we loved, a man who will be sorely missed, yet a man whose spirit will live on in the lives and organizations he touched.

Jeff, you were a great friend who always saw the glass of life as half full. Your enthusiasm and spirit will forever be a part of all of us fortunate enough to call you a friend. ~ Jamie Danburg

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family asks that donations be made to the Jeffrey A. Bolton Children’s Education Fund, 2401 N.W. Boca Raton Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33431.

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If you ask any golf analyst why Adam Scott won The Masters, he or she will probably ramble on about quantitative jargon – saying how Adam Scott hit 76% of the greens in regulation, got up and down %70 of the time, and made 51 pars, six bogeys, and 15 birdies en route to a -9 total. But all of these things are results of a much larger underlying cause; yes he has a near flawless swing. But golf as we all know is much more than a pretty swing.

The unequivocal reason why Adam Scott won The Masters this week was not a quantitative one but a qualitative one. He showed two character traits that have always been synonymous with the name Adam Scott; he showed patience and certain calm. He never let himself slip into anger or depression after a missed shot nor did he let himself indulge in elation after an amazing shot, minus the 18th and the playoff hole, of course; but that will be pardoned.

Patience & Calm – That’s why Adam Scott won The Masters, so much so that he looked like an Australian Buddhist Monk.

So how can you be more like Adam Scott? It’s all in the post-shot routine.

The time in which you walk from your last shot to your next shot, it is obvious that Adam Scott has a post-shot routine. Whenever he hits a bad shot, he simply shakes his head, takes a deep breath, and assesses what went wrong. When he hits a good shot, he twirls his club and that’s it.

Extremely simple premeditated mannerisms go a long way. It’s obvious that you cannot do a post routine such as this because of the discipline in which it takes. Or perhaps you can.

My suggestion for you to play more – or should I say – behave more like Adam Scott is to have a predefined set of things to check before you hit a shot, and a pre-determined set of mannerisms to do when you hit a bad shot.

There is no doubt in my mind that by doing this you will be able to sustain a calm and level head whilst you play, which will in turn beget more rational decisions, which will lead to lower scores.

By Jordan Jackson

Golf lessons, Golf Channel, golf books, golf radio, golf everything – and everyone has a different opinion on what’s right and what’s wrong with how to swing a golf club.

This is so wrong it’s incredible. As we head into The Masters weekend, remember this: There is no one right way to swing, as we all have different body compositions and flexibility. As you watch the upcoming Masters, watch how many different swings there are and how aesthetically pleasing – and unpleasing – they might be.

Regardless, they are still extremely effective. Funny enough, we can draw parallels to life, golf – even business. Many businesses operate in very different fashions of management and what product they produce. Yet they are still effective in generating profits. But if you look deeper, just as in golf, you will see that there are certain things that all who are effective do consistently without fail.

In this post, we will explore these factors within the swing.

The good news is, there are only three. And the first is the Fundamentals we covered in the first post. So that means that there are only two things you have to remember to swing better!

The first is the sequence in which you swing. There is a specific order that your body must move in to produce good shots. The order is: To start the club back with your hands. Keep it moving from there with your shoulders. Then move it back with your arms. And finally, get it to the top with your hips (Shown in Image).

Coming down, it is the inverse. This will cause a whip-like effect which will get you to hit the ball pure (Shown in Image)  Speaking candidly, this is one of the best feelings you will ever experience.

The Second is one of the easiest things to master in golf – and possibly one of the most fun to do. Rhythm and music have be known to soothe the soul. They also can soothe your golf game. When a person dances off-beat or plays a musical instrument out of tune or out of time, the dance looks terrible or the music sounds horrible.

Similarly, golf is a trifecta. Without good rhythm and tempo, your swing will look terrible, the sound of the ball will be terrible, and your score will make you feel terrible.

The solution is simple: the next time you go to the range to practice, take your iPod. Make sure you listen to the most melodic music you can so that you can sync your swing with the timing of the music. You will be amazed how effortlessly the ball will start to fly in the air. Even PGA tour golfers such as Anthony Kim practice with music to aid their rhythm.

Bonus: Hit It Past Everyone you Play With – The key to distance in golf has nothing to do with muscles or height or if you’re a man or a woman. It has everything to do with having the club meet the ball at the optimal moment in the swing arc. This is to say: hitting the ball on the upswing at the fastest point in the swing. This delivers maximum ball speed and minimum ball spin. As a result, the ball should go very, very far. Just remember: couple the rhythm from above with hitting the ball on the upswing with your driver.